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<p>Nowadays companies have changed the way they do the business and have realized that they must explicitly manage their intellectual resources and capabilities in order to remain competitive. The consequence is a rise in demand for knowledge management professionals. Since knowledge management is an emerging discipline, presently there is no widely accepted competency framework for knowledge management professions available.</p><p>A quantitative content analysis was performed using 89 job advertisements from United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Ireland in order to identify competencies of knowledge management profession. The results of the study show that most of the job advertisements asked for skills in Knowledge Management Technologies which are important for knowledge management professionals to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of knowledge management processes. The study shows also that knowledge management is more than creation, capturing, sharing and using of knowledge. Moreover it proves that knowledge management does not have a set of clear job titles and that it does not provide clearly bounded set of activities and tasks. Generally much misunderstanding exists about who and what knowledge management professionals are and what kind of skills they have to possess.</p>

Nowadays companies have changed the way they do the business and have realized that they must explicitly manage their intellectual resources and capabilities in order to remain competitive. The consequence is a rise in demand for knowledge management professionals. Since knowledge management is an emerging discipline, presently there is no widely accepted competency framework for knowledge management professions available. A quantitative content analysis was performed using 89 job advertisements from United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Ireland in order to identify competencies of knowledge management profession. The results of the study show that most of the job advertisements asked for skills in Knowledge Management Technologies which are important for knowledge management professionals to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of knowledge management processes. The study shows also that knowledge management is more than creation, capturing, sharing and using of knowledge. Moreover it proves that knowledge management does not have a set of clear job titles and that it does not provide clearly bounded set of activities and tasks. Generally much misunderstanding exists about who and what knowledge management professionals are and what kind of skills they have to possess.

The purpose of this study is to examine howthe intellectual, social/emotional and managerial competencies of a project managers are valued by the line manager and project manager to provide a framework for categorizing the competencies which can be used for HR purposes. Previous research has developed a framework of 15 competencies connected to intellectual, emotional and managerial intelligence. Studies have linked the competencies of a project manager to project success. Research emphasizes the need of integrating and involving the project manager to have an active role in competence management. However, the competence management of the project manager is not as widely discussed. With this background, it is therefore interesting to study how the employees involved ina project value the competencies of a project manager and to further discuss the HRM practices for a project manager. Six interviews were held with one line manager and five project managers working at a Swedish energy company. Inline with previous research, this study found that the 15 competencies of a project manager are valued important by the line manager and the project managers. Based on the empirical findings the 15 competencies were categorized into four categories; perceptive competencies, strategic competencies, interpersonal competencies and elemental competencies. Furthermore, the empirical data show a difference in what competencies the line manager hopes for the project manager to have, and what competencies the project managers hope to achieve. Both the theoretical and the practical contribution are a framework based on the categorization of the 15 competencies of a project manager. The suggested use of the framework is as part of competency -based human resource management, and more specifically as part of performance management. Further, the study presents a behavior-anchored rating scale for evaluating of the 15 competencies of a project manager.

The fabric of the workforce is changing. Indeed, domestic managers are working with an increasingly multicultural workforce at home while managers who travel abroad often work with people from multiple cultures. Concurrently, managers are often required to work with people in organizations that span across geographic boundaries, located in various time zones, relying mainly on information technology. However, empirical guidelines to train managers facing these challenges are scant as management typologies fall short when it comes to identifying the skills needed for simultaneously working with people from multiple cultural backgrounds.The goal of this study was to identify a repertoire of multicultural managerial competencies for work at home and abroad, in face-to-face contexts and via the use of technology. Using competency modeling as a conceptual framework, we enlisted the help of 20 mid- to upper-level managers who were invited to participate in individual behavioral event interviews to discuss positive and negative critical incidents and to answer questions grounded in job analysis. Data was analyzed using thematic (content) analysis based on a mixed method, a process that mostly illustrated the emergence of new competencies. ATLAS.ti was then used to code transcripts and to cross-reference behaviors according to emerging competency categories. Managers were then invited to validate the relevance of the initial version of the typology and to confirm that no competencies or related behaviors were missing.The resulting Multicultural Managerial Competency (MMC) typology, outlining five competence categories that combine 12 competencies along with their 71 corresponding behavioral indicators, makes both theoretical and practical contributions while offering flexibility for application. Indeed, the MMC typology illustrates an overlap between management and intercultural/cross-cultural literature, confirming that managers in multicultural contexts are called upon to invest in the management of trusting relationships, in distance management, as well as in expatriate management. Multicultural elements also permeate classic business and team functions thereby giving management requirements a new form. In terms of practical applications, the MMC typology provides concrete behavioral indicators for managers to use as guidelines for competence and serves to inform the creation of university curricula in international management.

O uso de simuladores de negócios em cursos de administração de empresas tem crescido significativamente nos últimos anos. Entretanto, apesar da oferta no mercado de novas simulações, não houve um avanço proporcional no desenvolvimento dos aspectos pedagógicos de uso desse recurso. Os estudos realizados nessa tese têm como objetivo estruturar uma arquitetura pedagógica que utiliza simuladores de negócios para a construção de competências de gestão em cursos de administração. Para isto, investigou-se a prática educativa de professores brasileiros, americanos e europeus quando do uso dessa ferramenta, sistematizando as atividades realizadas a partir dos seus aspectos organizacionais, tecnológicos, metodológicos e de conteúdo. Os aspectos metodológicos da arquitetura, por apresentarem diversas atividades desenvolvidas, foram organizados de acordo com os momentos do processo de aprendizagem, quais sejam as práticas iniciais, as atividades de problematização, de instrumentalização e de síntese. Para definição dos aspectos organizacionais, em particular daqueles relacionados ao propósito da arquitetura, também se fez uma pesquisa procurando identificar quais são as competências de gestão desenvolvidas por simuladores de negócios. Foram entrevistados professores com mais de oito anos de experiência no uso de simuladores de negócios, além de 44 alunos que descreveram suas percepções sobre as atividades pedagógicas preferidas e as competências de gestão desenvolvidas. Este levantamento foi complementado por uma pesquisa documental sobre as sugestões dadas por desenvolvedores de simulações. A partir das contribuições de professores, alunos e desenvolvedores de simulações, foi proposta uma nova arquitetura pedagógica, chamada de AP-CompSim. A fim de avaliar a construção das competências de gestão nessa arquitetura, foi desenvolvido um teste de avaliação de conhecimentos e habilidades, com 24 questões estruturadas para este fim. O teste foi aplicado primeiramente em duas turmas, utilizando a arquitetura pedagógica que vinha sendo adotada regularmente em um curso de administração de empresas. Num segundo momento, o teste foi aplicado em duas turmas que adotaram a AP-CompSim, tendo-se comparando as competências desenvolvidas na arquitetura inicial com as da nova proposta, verificando-se que os perfis de aprendizagem foram modificados. A nova arquitetura resultou em um perfil de alunos com construção de competências em um nível mais elaborado de conhecimentos, quando comparados com os da arquitetura inicial. Além disso, o percentual de alunos que migrou de um perfil de construção conceitual para um mais elaborado subiu de 43% para 60%. Com isso, pôde-se comprovar que a arquitetura pedagógica proposta não apenas gerou construção de competências mais elaboradas, mas também aumentou o número de alunos que puderam construir competências de gestão através do simulador de negócios. Entre as principais contribuições desta tese estão a sistematização das atividades pedagógicas adotadas por professores numa estrutura pedagógica consistente, o desenvolvimento de um teste para avaliação de competências de gestão e a avaliação de competências construídas através de simuladores de negócios. / The use of business simulations in management courses has grown significantly in recent years. However, despite the offer of new simulations, there was not a proportionate advance in developing pedagogical aspects when using this tool. Studies in this thesis aim to structure a pedagogical architecture using business simulations to build management skills in management courses. With this intention, we investigated educational practice of Brazilian, American and European professors when using this tool, systematizing all activities in organizational, technological, methodological and content aspects. Methodological aspects of architecture, due to having various activities developed, were organized according to learning process moments, namely early practices, challenging problems activities, supporting and synthesis activities. It was also conducted a survey to define organizational aspects, particularly those related to the purpose of architecture, seeking to identify what are the management skills developed by business simulations. We interviewed professors with over eight years of experience in using business simulations, and 44 students who described their perceptions on educational activities and developed management skills. This survey was supplemented by a documentary research on suggestions given by simulations developers. Based on professors, students and developers contributions, we proposed a new educational architecture, called AP-CompSim. In order to assess constructed management skills thru this architecture, it was developed assessment tests for knowledge and skills, with 24 structured questions for this purpose. Test was first applied in two groups, using the pedagogical architecture that had been adopted in a regular course of business administration. Secondly, test was applied to two groups that have adopted AP-CompSim, having compared the skills developed in the initial architecture with the new proposal and verifying that learning profiles have been modified. New architecture has resulted in a profile of students with building skills in a more elaborate level of knowledge when compared with the initial architecture. Furthermore, the percentage of students who migrated from a conceptual construction profile for a more elaborate one increased from 43% to 60%. Thus, it was possible to prove that teaching architecture proposed not only generated more elaborate skills construction, but also increased the number of students who were able to build management skills through business simulator. Among main contributions of this thesis are the systematization of educational activities adopted by teachers in a consistent pedagogical structure, development of a test for evaluation of management skills and evaluation of skills built through business simulators. / El uso de simulaciones de negocios en cursos de administración ha crecido significativamente en los últimos años. Sin embargo, a pesar de la oferta en el mercado de nuevas simulaciones, no hube un avance proporcional en el desarrollo de los aspectos pedagógicos de la utilización de esta herramienta. Los estudios realizados en esta tesis tienen como objetivo estructurar una arquitectura pedagógica utilizando simulaciones de negocios para construir competencias de gestión en cursos de administración. Para esto, se investigó la práctica educativa de profesores brasileños, estadounidenses y europeos al usar esta herramienta, con la sistematización de las actividades en aspectos de organización, tecnológicos, metodológicos y de contenido. Los aspectos metodológicos de la arquitectura, porque han desarrollado diversas actividades fueron organizados de acuerdo a los tiempos del proceso de aprendizaje, es decir, las primeras prácticas, las actividades de problematización, instrumentalización y la síntesis. Para definir los aspectos de organización, en particular los relacionados con los fines de la arquitectura, también se llevó a cabo una encuesta tratando de identificar cuáles son las habilidades de gestión desarrolladas por simulaciones de negocios. Se entrevistó a los profesores con más de ocho años de experiencia en el uso de simulaciones de negocios, y 44 estudiantes que han descrito su percepción de las actividades educativas preferidas y de habilidades de gestión desarrolladas. Esta encuesta se complementó con una investigación documental sobre las sugerencias dadas por los desarrolladores de simulaciones. A partir de las contribuciones de los profesores, estudiantes y desarrolladores de simulaciones, se propone una nueva arquitectura educativa, denominada AP-CompSim. Con el fin de evaluar las habilidades de gestión construidas en esta arquitectura se desarrolló una prueba de evaluación de conocimientos y habilidades con 24 preguntas estructuradas para este propósito. La prueba se aplicó por primera vez en dos grupos, utilizando la arquitectura pedagógica que se había adoptado en un curso regular de administración de empresas. En segundo lugar, se aplicó la prueba a dos grupos que han adoptado la AP-CompSim, y, después de haber comparado las habilidades desarrolladas en la arquitectura inicial con la nueva propuesta, se puede verificar que los perfiles de aprendizaje se han modificado. La nueva arquitectura ha dado lugar a un perfil de estudiantes con habilidades de construcción en un nivel más elaborado de conocimientos en comparación con la arquitectura inicial. Por otra parte, el porcentaje de estudiantes que cambió de un perfil de construcción conceptual para una más elaborada aumentó del 43% al 60%. De este modo, fue posible demostrar que la arquitectura presentada no sólo generó construcción de competencias más elaboradas, pero también aumentó el número de estudiantes que eran capaces de construir habilidades de gestión a través del simulador de negocios. Entre las principales aportaciones de esta tesis son la sistematización de las actividades educativas adoptadas por profesores en una estructura pedagógica coherente, el desarrollo de una prueba para la evaluación de las competencias de gestión y la evaluación de competencias construidas a través de simuladores de negocios.

Industry practitioners and educators both agree that tourism and hospitality management curricula need to reflect recent and future industry needs and developments, to ensure graduates are equipped with appropriate and industry-relevant skills. Furthermore, the combination of theory with practice is viewed as an essential component of a student’s tourism and hospitality management education. In the past, limited attempts have been made to provide empirical support to claims that a practical internship experience develops management competence in tourism and hospitality management students. In addition, Australian research into the management competencies employers in tourism and hospitality industries expect of recent graduates is minimal. Given the proliferation of tourism and hospitality-related courses over the past decade and the relative importance attributed to internship in developing students’ management competencies, such evaluations are considered important.Thus, this study focused on three main research objectives which were; to identify the management competencies that managers of organisations within tourism and hospitality industries expect of recent tourism and hospitality graduates; to determine whether students’ management competencies are developed during the internship component of Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Business in Tourism degree; and to determine whether the management competencies of Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Business in Tourism students meet the expectations of selected managers of organisations in four tourism and hospitality sectors. The study utilised the 24 management competencies and eight roles of Quinn, Thompson, Faerman and McGrath’s (1990) Competing Values Framework (CVF) to test two research hypotheses. The first hypothesis proposed that students’ pre-internship mean scores will be significantly lower than their post-internship mean scores with respect to the 24 management competencies and eight managerial roles associated with Quinn et al.’s (1990) Competing Values Framework. The second hypothesis proposed that students’ post-internship mean scores will not be significantly lower than the selected managers’ mean scores with respect to the 24 management competencies and eight managerial roles associated with Quinn et al.’s (1990) Competing Values Framework. A specific survey instrument, the Self Assessment of Managerial Skills (DiPadova, 1990), was used to survey managers within four sectors of Australian tourism and hospitality industries and Bachelor of Business in Tourism internship students from Southern Cross University in Lismore, Australia. Students were surveyed before and after internship.The study found that students’ perceptions of their level of managerial competence had significantly increased after the completion of their internship placement in six of the 24 management competencies and three of the eight managerial roles, thus partially supporting the first research hypothesis. Further, it was found that pre-internship, students perceived these six competencies were their weakest competency areas, with one exception - Presenting Information by Writing Effectively. This suggests that internship has complemented competencies developed during their coursework. The study also found that after completing internship, students’ perceptions of their managerial competence were reasonably congruent with the expectations of this sample of managers, thus supporting the second research hypothesis. In this study students’ post-internship competencies were found to be reasonably aligned with Quinn, Faerman and Dixit’s (1987) research which examined the relationship between management competencies and hierarchical levels in an organisation. Empirical data collected from the students and the managers, identified students’ management profiles preand post-internship and the management profile that managers expect of recent graduates. These profiles resembled Quinn’s (1991) description of a Master Manager. These findings suggest that internship has assisted students in moving closer to the competence required of a Master Manager.The study concludes that the internship component of a student’s tourism and hospitality education can hold real educational benefits in preparing them for future management roles. Also, as entry level graduates, this cohort of students has the ability to demonstrate competence over a range of transferable generic management competencies and should be effectively equipped to undertake a range of managerial opportunities that may be presented to them. The study demonstrates the importance of conducting empirically based evaluation to provide support to the debate on the true educational value of internship and highlights the need for further research in this area. It also demonstrates the application of the eight management roles and 24 management competencies of the CVF (Quinn et al., 1990) to tourism and hospitality industries.With the recent proliferation of tourism and hospitality management programs, tertiary education providers are now being held more accountable for the courses they offer. Curricula must reflect the changing needs of industry. Research in collaboration with tourism and hospitality industries must continue to ensure that courses offered are not only relevant but are also producing graduates with skills and knowledge they will need as future managers.

In 2008, 75% of municipal sport and recreation facilities in South Africa were underutilised, while 62% of these facilities were reported to be poorly managed (SRIMP, 2008). A possible reason for these reported findings can be the lack of managerial skills. However, Goslin (2003:39) mentions that little research on recreation management and education has been done in South Africa, which highlights the increasing need for knowledge to establish and maintain future management practices (Goslin, 2003:40). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the management competencies applied by recreation managers for effective management of local community centres. In addition, this study compares the gaps between the recreation managers’ qualifications and the requirements for successfully providing the public with quality recreation opportunities in community centres. A qualitative method was applied as a practical guide for the research. The seven regional recreation managers of the City of Johannesburg were selected for the case study. The sample size (n=5) was determined through data saturation. Data was gathered by means of a semi–structured interview with each regional manager (De Vos, 2005:296; Veal, 2006:386). Through the process of data analysis two main categories were identified. The first, Tasks and limitations experienced by regional managers in Johannesburg pointed out that the daily tasks of facility, programme and human resource management is seen as essential responsibilities to recreation managers and it is unfortunate that the majority of problems relating to these tasks are due to unskilled staff that must be supervised on a daily basis. The second, Training needs of recreation staff at recreation centres: Regional managers’ perspective indicated that the staff’s inability to understand the term recreation may in fact be caused by organisations’ bad choices regarding employment or the lack of setting clear criteria for job positions (Mull et al., 2005:227). The answer to training needs for already employed personnel, saving both money and time, may be short courses. By working with each specific centre’s problems and training needs, as well as with each individual employee’s competencies, the short courses could be designed to specifically help better equip the staff member and in turn provide better recreation services to the community. / Thesis (M.A. (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

In 2008, 75% of municipal sport and recreation facilities in South Africa were underutilised, while 62% of these facilities were reported to be poorly managed (SRIMP, 2008). A possible reason for these reported findings can be the lack of managerial skills. However, Goslin (2003:39) mentions that little research on recreation management and education has been done in South Africa, which highlights the increasing need for knowledge to establish and maintain future management practices (Goslin, 2003:40). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the management competencies applied by recreation managers for effective management of local community centres. In addition, this study compares the gaps between the recreation managers’ qualifications and the requirements for successfully providing the public with quality recreation opportunities in community centres. A qualitative method was applied as a practical guide for the research. The seven regional recreation managers of the City of Johannesburg were selected for the case study. The sample size (n=5) was determined through data saturation. Data was gathered by means of a semi–structured interview with each regional manager (De Vos, 2005:296; Veal, 2006:386). Through the process of data analysis two main categories were identified. The first, Tasks and limitations experienced by regional managers in Johannesburg pointed out that the daily tasks of facility, programme and human resource management is seen as essential responsibilities to recreation managers and it is unfortunate that the majority of problems relating to these tasks are due to unskilled staff that must be supervised on a daily basis. The second, Training needs of recreation staff at recreation centres: Regional managers’ perspective indicated that the staff’s inability to understand the term recreation may in fact be caused by organisations’ bad choices regarding employment or the lack of setting clear criteria for job positions (Mull et al., 2005:227). The answer to training needs for already employed personnel, saving both money and time, may be short courses. By working with each specific centre’s problems and training needs, as well as with each individual employee’s competencies, the short courses could be designed to specifically help better equip the staff member and in turn provide better recreation services to the community. / Thesis (M.A. (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Industry practitioners and educators both agree that tourism and hospitality management curricula need to reflect recent and future industry needs and developments, to ensure graduates are equipped with appropriate and industry-relevant skills. Furthermore, the combination of theory with practice is viewed as an essential component of a student’s tourism and hospitality management education. In the past, limited attempts have been made to provide empirical support to claims that a practical internship experience develops management competence in tourism and hospitality management students. In addition, Australian research into the management competencies employers in tourism and hospitality industries expect of recent graduates is minimal. Given the proliferation of tourism and hospitality-related courses over the past decade and the relative importance attributed to internship in developing students’ management competencies, such evaluations are considered important.Thus, this study focused on three main research objectives which were; to identify the management competencies that managers of organisations within tourism and hospitality industries expect of recent tourism and hospitality graduates; to determine whether students’ management competencies are developed during the internship component of Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Business in Tourism degree; and to determine whether the management competencies of Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Business in Tourism students meet the expectations of selected managers of organisations in four tourism and hospitality sectors. The study utilised the 24 management competencies and eight roles of Quinn, Thompson, Faerman and McGrath’s (1990) Competing Values Framework (CVF) to test two research hypotheses. The first hypothesis proposed that students’ pre-internship mean scores will be significantly lower than their post-internship mean scores with respect to the 24 management competencies and eight managerial roles associated with Quinn et al.’s (1990) Competing Values Framework. The second hypothesis proposed that students’ post-internship mean scores will not be significantly lower than the selected managers’ mean scores with respect to the 24 management competencies and eight managerial roles associated with Quinn et al.’s (1990) Competing Values Framework. A specific survey instrument, the Self Assessment of Managerial Skills (DiPadova, 1990), was used to survey managers within four sectors of Australian tourism and hospitality industries and Bachelor of Business in Tourism internship students from Southern Cross University in Lismore, Australia. Students were surveyed before and after internship.The study found that students’ perceptions of their level of managerial competence had significantly increased after the completion of their internship placement in six of the 24 management competencies and three of the eight managerial roles, thus partially supporting the first research hypothesis. Further, it was found that pre-internship, students perceived these six competencies were their weakest competency areas, with one exception - Presenting Information by Writing Effectively. This suggests that internship has complemented competencies developed during their coursework. The study also found that after completing internship, students’ perceptions of their managerial competence were reasonably congruent with the expectations of this sample of managers, thus supporting the second research hypothesis. In this study students’ post-internship competencies were found to be reasonably aligned with Quinn, Faerman and Dixit’s (1987) research which examined the relationship between management competencies and hierarchical levels in an organisation. Empirical data collected from the students and the managers, identified students’ management profiles preand post-internship and the management profile that managers expect of recent graduates. These profiles resembled Quinn’s (1991) description of a Master Manager. These findings suggest that internship has assisted students in moving closer to the competence required of a Master Manager.The study concludes that the internship component of a student’s tourism and hospitality education can hold real educational benefits in preparing them for future management roles. Also, as entry level graduates, this cohort of students has the ability to demonstrate competence over a range of transferable generic management competencies and should be effectively equipped to undertake a range of managerial opportunities that may be presented to them. The study demonstrates the importance of conducting empirically based evaluation to provide support to the debate on the true educational value of internship and highlights the need for further research in this area. It also demonstrates the application of the eight management roles and 24 management competencies of the CVF (Quinn et al., 1990) to tourism and hospitality industries.With the recent proliferation of tourism and hospitality management programs, tertiary education providers are now being held more accountable for the courses they offer. Curricula must reflect the changing needs of industry. Research in collaboration with tourism and hospitality industries must continue to ensure that courses offered are not only relevant but are also producing graduates with skills and knowledge they will need as future managers.